High temperature deformation behaviors of a CuZr-based bulk metallic glass composite

In this study, the deformation behaviors of a Cu47.5Zr48Al4Nb0.5 bulk metallic glass composite (BMGC) in the temperature ranging from 663 K to 763 K have been investigated using uniaxial tensile tests and high-energy X-ray diffraction. Within the supercooled liquid region (SLR), the studied BMGC exhibits superplasticity and the deformation of the studied BMGC basically involves two modes, i.e., homogeneous and inhomogeneous deformation. As the temperature increases in the SLR, the yield strength of the studied BMGC gradually decreases whereas the plastic strain increases, revealing that the amorphous phase plays a dominant role in the deformation. However, there is a significant increase in the yield strength above the crystallization temperature, which indicates that the deformation is mainly contributed by the crystalline phase. The results obtained in this manuscript provide a better understanding of the temperature dependence of deformation behaviors in BMGCs. [Display omitted] •The yield strength of the BMGC decreases with the increasing temperatures below Tx.•The structural evolution of the BMGC was characterized using high energy X-ray diffraction (HE-XRD).•The amorphous phase leads the deformation behaviors of the BMGC below Tx, otherwise the crystalline phase dominates.